Services and Fees

Residential Conveyancing

All our conveyancing work is undertaken by one of our two Partners Annabel Ford and Steven Warne both of whom have many years’ experience in delivering high quality work in respect of all aspects of residential conveyancing. 

 

Price Information for Sale or Purchase of Freehold Property

Our fees cover all the work required to complete your sale and the case of a purchase will include dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales. Details of our charges are set out below. This assumes a VAT rate of 20%.

 

Price                       Costs
£0 - £100,000.00 = £750.00 plus VAT
£100,001.00- £200,000.00 = £850.00 plus VAT
£200,001.00 - £300,000.00 = £950.00 plus VAT
£300,001.00 - £500,000.00 = £1,050.00 plus VAT
£500,001.00 - £750,000.00 = £1,150.00 plus VAT

Above £750,001.00 on request

 

 

Additional Fees:

Completion and filing the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return at HMRC = £60 plus VAT
Electronic Identification Check required to be undertaken on all individuals = £15 plus VAT

 

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
In connection with the sale this comprises the cost of the documents required from the Land Registry usually amounting to £8.40 but additional documents may be required at a cost of £4.20 each.

In connection with the purchase the Search fees vary depending upon the location of the property but to undertake a Local, Environmental and Drainage Search would usually be in the region of £200 to £350 plus VAT. In addition there are usually Land Registry and or Land Charges Search fees which are usually in the range of £3 to £10 plus VAT depending on the location additional searches may be required such as a Mining Search which costs in the region of £50 plus VAT and Chancel Repair Liability Insurance may be required which is usually placed on our Block Policy for £13.22.

A Land Registry fee would be payable in the range of £20 to £910 depending upon the value of the property and whether or not it is Registered. For most properties the fee falls within the range of £100 to £270


Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro) or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website here (https://beta.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator)

 

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 to 10 weeks
It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. 

 

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact Lender’s Solicitors if needed
• Receive and advise on Contract documents
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of Seller’s Solicitor
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through conditions of Mortgage Offer with you
• Send final Contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange Contracts and notify you that his has happened
• Arrange for all monies needed to be received from Lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry.

 

Price Information for Sale or Purchase of Leasehold Residential Property.

Our fees cover all the work required to complete your sale and the case of a purchase will include dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales. Details of our charges are set out below. This assumes a VAT rate of 20%.

Price                        Costs
£0 - £100,000.00 = £850.00 plus VAT
£100,001.00- £200,000.00 = £950.00 plus VAT
£200,001.00 - £300,000.00 = £1,050.00 plus VAT
£300,001.00 - £500,000.00 = £1,150.00 plus VAT
£500,001.00 - £750,000.00 = £1,250.00 plus VAT
Above £750,001.00 on request

 

Disbursements

These will essentially be the same as detailed above for Freehold properties but there are certain disbursements which will be set out in the individual Lease relating to the property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the Lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the Lease from the Seller’s Solicitors.

 

Anticipated Disbursements

• Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the Lease.
• Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the Lease.
• Deed of Covenant fee- This fee is provided by the Management Company for the property can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £150 and £350
• Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the Lease


These fees vary from property to property. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information.

 

 

Stamp Duty Land Tax

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro) or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website here (https://calculator.wra.gov.wales/ )

 

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold property vary according to the circumstances. However below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact Lender’s Solicitors if needed
• Receive and advise on Contract documents
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of Seller’s Solicitor
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through conditions of Mortgage Offer with you
• Send final Contract to you for signature
• Draft Transfer
• Advise you on joint ownership
• Obtain pre-completion searches
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange Contracts and notify you that his has happened
• Arrange for all monies needed to be received from Lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry.

 

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 to 10 weeks
It can be quicker of slower depending on the parties in the chain.
* For both Freehold and Leasehold property our fees assume that:
a. this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
b. if a Leasehold transaction it is an assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
c. the transaction is concluded in a timely matter and no unforeseen complications arise
d. all parties to the transaction re co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
e. no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are require.

 

Price Information for Mortgage and Re-Mortgage

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the Mortgage or Re-Mortgage including dealing with registration at the Land Registry.
Our fees will £500 plus VAT. The disbursements will be the same as those detailed above for the purchase of Freehold property or Leasehold property as the case may be.

 

How long will my Mortgage or Re-Mortgage take?

This will usually depend upon how long it takes to obtain the Local Search. This can vary considerably between different Local Authorities but generally 4 to 8 weeks would cover most situations.
Our fee assumes this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which would require remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction.

 

Price Information for Probate Matters

All probate matters are dealt with by Annabel Ford who has many years’ experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to Wills and Estate Administration.

 

Range of Costs with Fixed Fee for Additional Work

We anticipate that obtaining a Grant will take between two and three hours work at £250 plus VAT per hour. Total costs estimated at £500 to £750 plus VAT
We anticipate that our additional charges for administrating the Estate once the Grant has been obtained will take between two and ten hours work at £250 plus VAT per hour. This would give a total estimated cost at £500 to £2,500 plus VAT depending on the assets in the estate. However in complex cases an estimate will be provided separately.
Additional work could be involved and our charges are likely to be between 1% and 1.5% of the gross value of the estate.
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example if there is one beneficiary and no property costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries a property and multiple bank accounts costs will be at the higher end.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
• There is a valid Will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than five bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are two to five beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this likely to lead to an increase in costs.
• There is no Inheritance Tax payable and the Executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the Estate

Disbursements in addition to this fee will include:
• Probate application fee at the current rate
• Bankruptcy Only Land Charges Department searches (£2 plus VAT per beneficiary)
• £100 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors (if required)
• £100 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims (if required)
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as Court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

 

Potential additional costs

• If there is no Will or the Estate consists of any share holdings (Stocks and Bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the Estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information
• If any additional copies of the Grant are required they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually)
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of a property in the Estate is not included

 

How long will this take?

On average Estates that fall within this range are dealt with within three to eight months. Typically obtaining the Grant of Probate takes twelve weeks. Collecting assets then follows which can take between three and six months. Once this has been done we can distribute the assets as soon as reasonably possible.

As part of our fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced Probate Solicitor to work on your mater
• Identify the legally appointed Executors or Administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Draft a Legal statement for you to sign
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Collect and distribute all assets in the Estate